Local teens charged with burglary
Uniontown police filed burglary and related charges against a 19-year-old city man and a 17-year-old male from South Union Township on Monday in connection with attempting to steal musical instruments and equipment valued at $300,000 that morning. Detective Philip Jones filed charges of burglary, criminal trespass, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and criminal conspiracy against Benjamin Mihalko, 19, of 130 Coddington Place.
Jones said a juvenile petition containing the same charges was filed against the other suspect at the Fayette County Juvenile Probation office.
After responding to a report of a person on the roof in the area of Barton’s Flower Shop on Morgantown Street, patrolman David Rutter said he saw a white male jump from the roof Color Works to the roof of Window Designs by Lydia on South Street, according to an affidavit filed by Jones.
Rutter then found a pile of electronics on the roof of 39 W. Main St. He also discovered that a metal-covered wood door on the adjacent 38 1/2 W. Main St. had been opened by force.
Jones interviewed members of the band Soulfish, who told him that they rented the second floor of 38 1/2 W. Main St. for use as a recording studio and that they stored their equipment there.
Recovered from the roof were seven guitars, amplifiers, a mixing boards, keyboards, speakers and various other equipment. Four boxes of baseball cards belonging to building owner Russell Fike were also found on the roof.
Damaged to the door was estimated at $500.
Jones said a 9-1-1 dispatcher saw two white males exit a car that had just been parked in the 9-1-1 lot and walk in the direction of South Street. They returned to the car at approximately 5:50 a.m. and drove off, but not before the dispatcher noted the car’s registration.
The registration led Jones to Mihalko at 12:32 p.m. His account of the incident was recorded on audio tape, according to the affidavit.